Rack device for use on a desk



Jan. 5, 1965 J. F. GORC 3,164,254

RACK DEVICE FOR USE ON A DESK Filed Se pjg. 14, 1962 INVENTOR. JOHNNY FT Goec,

United States Patent Ofi ice 3,164,254 Patented Jan. 5, 1965 3,164,254 RACK DEVICE FOR USE ON A DESK Johnny F. Gore, Palmer, Alaska (7200 Caluin Drive, Citrus Heights, Calif.) Filed Sept. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 223,659 3 Claims. (Cl. 211-42) This invention relates to desk accessories, and more particularly to a rack device for holding books, pencils, paper clips, pens, rubber bands, and similar items on a desk.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rack device for receiving and holding frequently used desk items, whereby to prevent such items from cluttering a desk, the rack device being simple in construction, being neat in appearance, and being rel atively compact in size.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved rack device for holding frequently used items on a desk, said rack device being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, and which serves as a convenient means for storing and retaining frequently used items such as pencils, books, paper clips, and the like, in a readily accessible position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a rack device for use on a desk, the rack device being constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a transverse vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates a rack device for use on a desk, the device being constructed according to the present invention. The rack device 11 comprises an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear wall member 12, a horizontal bottom wall or shelf member 13, an upwardly and forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member 14, and two fiat inverted U-s'naped vertical end supports 15, 15. The members are rigidly secured together in the configuration shown in FIGURE 1 to form an integrally united body.

As shown, the bottom shelf member 13 is rigidly secured horizontally to the lower portions of the forward legs 24, 24 of the vertical end support members 15, 15. The bottom shelf member 13 is provided with spaced upstanding transversely extending partition walls 16, 16 and with upstanding end flanges 17, 17, thus defining a plurality of compartments or trays 23 adapted to receive small items, such as paper clips, rubber bands, or the like.

The upwardly and forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member 14 is rigidly secured at its end edges to the top portions of the forward legs 24, 24 of the vertical end supports 15, 15, and is also integrally connected with the bottom shelf member 13 at the rear corner edge 20. As will be readily apparent from FIGURES 1 and 2, the vertical end supports 15, 15 hold the intermediate shelf member 14 at an acute angle to the bottom shelf member 13.

The forward portion of the intermediate shelf member 14 is of substantial thickness, and the thickened forward marginal portion of said intermediate shelf member is formed with a series of bores 18 spaced along its front edge and extending perpendicularly to said front edge into the body of the shelf member 14. The bores 18 are of substantial length and are sufiiciently large in diameter to accommodate conventional writing implements, such as conventional pencils, ball-point pens, or similar standard writing implements.

The upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear wall member 12 is integrally joined to the bottom shelf member 13 and the intermediate shelf member 14 at the bottom rear corner edge 20. As is clearly shown in FIGURE 1, the end edges of the upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear wall member 12 are rigidly connected to the top portions of the downwardly and rearwardly extending rear legs 25, 25 of the vertical end supports 15, 15. The rear wall member 12 is thus secured and supported in a position perpendicular to the upwardly and forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member 14. The downwardly and rearwardly directed rear supporting legs 25, 25 act as braces, preventing rearward rotation of the rack device 11.

When in use, the rack device 11 is disposed at a convenient location on a desk top. Rubber bands, paper clips, erasers, and other frequently used small items may be stored in the trays or compartments 23 defined on the bottom shelf member 13. Conventional writing implements, such as pencils, or the like, may be inserted in the bores 18 provided at the forward marginal portion of the intermediate shelf member 14. The right-angled trough defined by the upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear wall member 12 and the upwardly and forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member 14 is employed for holding books, pads, and similar items.

The rack device 11 may be molded from a single body of plastic or other suitable material, or alternatively, may be assembled by fastening together the various elements thereof. The various elements, when separately formed, may be made of various different suitable materials, if so desired, or may all be made of the same material.

While a specific embodiment of an improved rack device for use on a desk has been disclosed in the fore going description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A rack device comprising a horizontal bottom shelf member, spaced transverse partition means on said bot tom shelf member defining a plurality of spaced compartments, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear wall member rigidly secured to the rear margin of said bottom shelf member, downwardly and rearwardly extending brace legs secured to the end edges of the rear wall memher, and an upwardly and forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member extending substantially perpendicular to said rear wall member and being rigidly secured to the junction of the bottom edge of said rear wall member and said rear margin, said rear wall member and intermediate shelf member defining a supporting trough therebetween.

2. A rack device comprising a horizontal bottom shelf member, spaced transverse partition means on said bottom shelf member defining a plurality of spaced compartments, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear wall member rigidly secured to the rear margin of said bottom shelf member, downwardly and rearwardly extending brace legs secured to the end edges of the rear wall member, and an upwardly and forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member extending substantially perpendicular to said rear wall member and being rigidly secured to the junction of the bottom edge of said rear wall member and said rear margin, said rear wall member and intermediate shelf member defining a supporting trough therebetween, the front margin of said intermediate shelf member being formed with a plurality of bores of substantial depth extending perpendicular to the front edge of said intermediate shelf member for receiving Writing implements.

3. A rack'device comprising a horizontal bottom shelf member, spaced transverse partition means on said bottom shelf member defining a plurality of spaced compartments, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rear Wall member rigidly secured to the rear margin of said bottom shelf member, an upwardlyand forwardly inclined intermediate shelf member extending substantially perpendicular to said rear Wall member and being rigidly secured to the junction of the bottom edge of said rear wall member and said rear margin, said rear wall member and intermediate shelf member defining a supporting trough therebetween, the front margin of said intermediate shelf member being formed with a plurality of bores of substantial depth extending perpendicular to the front edge of said intermediate shelf member for receiving writing implemerits, and respective inverted U-shaped vertical end supports rigidly secured to the end edges of said shelf members and rear wall member, said end supports including down vardly and rearwardly inclined rear legs extending rearwardly from the end edges of the rear wall member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 956,837 Tiedemann May 3, 1910 1,227,444 Jeckert May 22, 1917 1,296,158 Bonham Mar. 4, 1919 1,477,634 Connor Dec. 18, 1923 2,108,122 Hall Feb. 15, 1938 2,224,530 Weinstein Dec. 10, 1940 3,014,760 Gard Dec. 26, 1961 

3. A RACK DEVICE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL BOTTOM SHELF MEMBER, SPACED TRANSVERSE PARTITION MEANS ON SAID BOTTOM SHELF MEMBER DEFINING A PLURALITY OF SPACED COMPARTMENTS, AN UPWARDLY AND REARWARDLY INCLINED REAR WALL MEMBER RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE REAR MARGIN OF SAID BOTTOM SHELF MEMBER, AN UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED INTERMEDIATE SHELF MEMBER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID REAR WALL MEMBER AND BEING RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE JUNCTION OF THE BOTTOM EDGE OF SAID REAR WALL MEMBER AND SAID REAR MARGIN, SAID REAR WALL MEMBER AND INTERMEDIATE SHELF MEMBER DEFININGA SUPPORTING TROUGH THEREBETWEEN, THE FRONT MARGIN OF SAID INTERMEDIATE SHELF MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A PLURALITY OF BORES OF SUBSTANTIAL DEPTH EXTENDING PERPENDICULAR TO THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE SHELF MEMBER FOR RECEIVING WRITING IMPLEMENTS, AND RESEPCTIVE INVERTED U-SHAPED VERTICAL END SUPPORTS RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE END EDGES OF SAID SHELF MEMBERS AND REAR WALL MEMBER, SAID END SUPPORTS INCLUDING DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY INCLINED REAR LEGS EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM THE END EDGES OF THE REAR WALL MEMBER. 